THE GROWING EVIDENCE ON SOCIAL STRESS IMPLIES A DIRECT CONNECTION BETWEEN LOW-INCOME STATUS AND CHILD MALTREATMENT. ALTHOUGH MALTREATMENT OCCURS AMONG THE AFFLUENT, LOW-INCOME STATUS INCREASES ENVIRONMENTAL STRESS WHILE EXACERBATING PERSONAL STRESS. FURTHER, IT REDUCES ACCESS TO MANY SUPPORTIVE RESOURCES THAT CAN BE USED TO COMPENSATE FOR HIGH-RISK FAMILY CHARACTERISTICS. THESE CONCEPTS ARE TESTED, USING THREE MEASURES OF SOCIOECONOMIC LEVEL: MEDIAN INCOME, MEDIAN INCOME OF FEMALE-HEADED HOUSEHOLDS, AND PERCENT OF HOUSEHOLDS BELOW THE POVERTY LEVEL. DATA WERE OBTAINED FROM THREE EMPIRICAL STUDIES. ONE STUDY EXAMINES CHILD MALTREATMENT REPORTS FOR 58 NEW YORK STATE COUNTIES IN RELATION TO THE MEASURES OF SOCIOECONOMIC LEVEL. A SECOND STUDY COMPARES REPORTED CHILD MALTREATMENT IN 93 NEBRASKA COUNTIES WITH 20 SUBAREAS WITHIN A SINGLE COUNTY IN RELATION TO THE MEASURES OF SOCIOECONOMIC LEVEL. A THIRD STUDY COMPARES THE CORRELATES OF MALTREATMENT REPORTS WITH THOSE OF HOMICIDE REPORTS FOR THE 48 COTERMINOUS STATES (NOT INCLUDING THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA). TAKEN SEPARATELY, THE THREE ANALYSES ADMIT TO SOME AMBIGUITY OF INTERPRETATION; HOWEVER, TOGETHER, THEY ARGUE FOR THE PLAUSIBILITY OF THE CONSTRUCT VALIDITY HYPOTHESIS. SOCIOECONOMIC CRITERION MAY, THEREFORE, PROVIDE A NECESSARY CONDITION FOR ESTABLISHING THE VALIDITY OF REPORT DATA. HOWEVER THE EMPIRICAL CRITERION PROPOSED HERE SHOULD NOT BE USED BLINDLY WITHOUT CORROBORATING INFORMATION FROM LOCAL INFORMANTS. TABULAR DATA AND REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. (RCB)